This invention relates to an ultrasonic medical instrument to be used when a surgical operation such as an abdominal operation is performed.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,055, PCT National Publication No. 8-505801 (WO94/16631), and Japanese Patent No. 2592487 disclose ultrasonic coagulating/ incising apparatuses as ultrasonic medical instruments each for use in combination with an endoscope to perform a surgical operation under the endoscope. In each of these apparatuses, a treatment section for ultrasonic coagulation and incision is provided at the distal end of a long and slender insertion section of the apparatus. Further, an operation handle section is provided at the proximal end of the insertion section. This handle section is used to operate the treatment section for ultrasonic coagulation and incision.
Since the insertion section of those ultrasonic coagulating/incising apparatuses is rather long, the position of the handle section is relatively remote from the affected part of the patient""s body when the treatment section at the distal end of the insertion section is brought into contact with the affected part. At this time, the handle-gripping hand of the operator such as a doctor is liable to become unstable, and hence the handle section becomes hard to operate.
Although there are ultrasonic coagulating/incising apparatuses for abdominal operations which employ relatively short insertion sections, the conventional handle sections are shaped like guns as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,055, PCT National Publication No. 8-505801, etc. and hence not suitable for delicate treatments. Thus, the conventional handle sections have low operability.
The invention has been developed in light of the above-described circumstances, and is aimed at providing an ultrasonic medical treatment which is suitable for abdominal operations and can be used in a reliable manner, thereby enhancing the performance of the operations.
To attain the aim, there is provided an ultrasonic medical instrument for transmitting ultrasonic oscillation to living tissue to thereby perform an ultrasonic treatment of the living tissue, comprising:
an instrument main body which includes an oscillator for generating ultrasonic oscillation, an oscillator cover covering the oscillator, a transmission section for amplifying and transmitting the ultrasonic oscillation from the oscillator, and a probe section provided at a distal end of the transmission section and being able to be brought into contact with the living tissue to transmit to the living tissue the oscillation from the transmission section; and
operation means including an operation section which moves relative to the instrument main body, and a clamp member openable/closable with respect to the probe section, the operation means shifting the clamp member, as a result of the operations of the operation section relative to the instrument main body, between a closure position in which the clamp member cooperates with the probe section to hold the living tissue between the clamp member and the probe section, and an open position in which the clamp member is separated from the probe section to release the living tissue.
During performing an ultrasonic treatment, ultrasonic oscillation generated from the oscillator is amplified by the transmission section and then transmitted therefrom to the probe section located at the distal end of the instrument. At this time, the probe section is brought into contact with living tissue thereby to transmit the oscillation to it. As a result of relative movement of the oscillator cover and the operation section of the operation means, the clamp member is shifted between the closure position in which the clamp member cooperates with the probe section to hold the living tissue between the clamp member and the probe section, and the open position in which the clamp member is separated from the probe section to release the living tissue.
As described above, in the ultrasonic medical instrument of the invention, the oscillator cover is moved relative to the operation section of the operation means equipped with the clamp member openable/closable with respect to the probe section, thereby shifting the clamp member between the closure position in which the clamp member cooperates with the probe section to hold the living tissue between the clamp member and the probe section, and the open position in which the clamp member is separated from the probe section to release the living tissue. Accordingly, the medical instrument of the invention is suitable for abdominal operations and can realize operations of high performance.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.